The maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs said late Tuesday that it failed to reach an agreement with its second biggest union. As a result, Hostess plans to continue with a hearing on Wednesday in which a bankruptcy court judge will decide if the company can shutter its operations.

The renewed talks between Hostess and The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union came after the company declared last week that it would move to wind down its business and start selling off its assets in bankruptcy court. The company cited a crippling strike that was started on Nov. 9 by the union, which represents 30 percent of Hostess workers.

After making its case to liquidate on Monday, the bankruptcy judge hearing the case noted that the two sides hadn't yet tried resolving their differences through private mediation. The judge noted that 18,000 jobs were on the line and urged the company and union to try to resolve their differences. Both sides agreed to hold mediation proceedings on Tuesday.

In a statement late Tuesday, Hostess said it would not comment on the breakdown in talks other than to say that mediation "was unsuccessful."

Hostess shut down its three dozen plants late last week after it said the strike by the bakers union hurt its ability to maintain normal production. The bakers union says the company's demise was the result of years of mismanagement, however, and that workers have already given steep concessions over the years.

11/20/2012 4:46:44 PM PST · by jimbo123 · 70 replies
Wall Street Journal ^ | 11/20/12 | JULIE JARGON And RACHEL FEINTZEIG
Hostess Brands Inc. said Tuesday night that mediation talks with its bakers union failed and the company will proceed with plans to close down and sell its assets.

I have to confess I’m a ding dong for Ding Dongs. . . was a little depressed after eating what I thought was my last one. . .when lo and behold I found a box in the freezer. To ween off my habit I plan to eat one once a month beginning January. . .maybe by next December the Mexicans will be up and running Ding Dongs across the border!

Was the union negotiating in good faith? When does a national strategy of showing the union is unafraid to shut down a business become a breach of fiduciary responsibility to the locals involved?

In all but four states, strikers are ineligible for unemployment compensation. Does the liquidation of the business "end" the strike or lock it in for perpetuity? If the former, was that the quid pro quo offered to the locals, that they'd have a few years of bennies from Obama while the national played out its strategy?

The workers probably aren’t even aware that their union bosses are operatives of 0bama, seeking to destroy iconic American companies and any other private sector business. Cloward & Piven requires it. 0bama’s mantra is ‘every job is a government job’. When the president meet with moveon.org within days after his re-election, bad things are planned. We’ve got walk-outs at LAX planned, Walmart, and numerous ‘black Friday’ walk-outs. You can bet 0bamugabe is behind this SH!T. He talked about taxes with Richard Trumka?? HAHAAHAAAAAA HAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAA yeah right.

This is the failing of both the media and their liberal aspirations. They think "over" only means over for the people that run the business and that now they can take over and make rainbows, chewy bears and unicorns fall from the sky.

I have to confess Im a ding dong for Ding Dongs
*************************************

I just posted on the other thread that I own a Bimbo bread route, and use to see the Hostess rep daily. He used to give me a couple boxes a week to take home to my kids. My kids are in deep morning over the loss of their favorite snake.

Can’t help you with the Ding Dongs, but go to CooksCountry.com and do a search for “Chocolate Cream Cupcakes.” They’re better than the Hostess cupcakes. I made a batch tonight for tomorrow’s bake sale. I expect them to bid high!

:: Hostess plans to continue with a hearing on Wednesday in which a bankruptcy court judge will decide if the company can shutter its operations. ::

The judge will soon be hearing from the Obamugabe administration, and, the bankruptcy judge will say, “no” and the Unions (Bakers and Teamsters) will be awarded 75% of the company’s premium and preferred shares.

It will be GM deja vu.

39
posted on 11/21/2012 4:49:10 AM PST
by Cletus.D.Yokel
(Bread and Circuses; Everyone to the Coliseum!)

What I'd like to see is some Republican leaders (oxymoron I know) publicly bash the unions DAILY for destroying these jobs. They prefer instead to let the unions control the message talking about how the money hungry vulture capitalists plundered the company and ruined these poor workers lives. Our political consultants are idiots.

We are at political and cultural war with these people and we have to use every tactic in the book to expose them. Please, no more Mr. Nice Guy, kick them in the teeth instead! Figuratively speaking of course...

A WSJ editorial today claimed that human resources costs for the bakers are not out-of-wack at Hostess, and not the big operartions cost factor sapping Hostess revenue as much as the work rules of the Teamsters Union (requires anyone BUT NOT the driver be part of loading a truck and some products cannot be assigned to the same trucks - increasing how many employees and how many truck routes it takes to get Hostess products distributed). And the Teamsters accepted their agreement with Hostess, but that agreement did not much change those work rules (Hostess couldn’t get ‘em changed), leaving only the bakers compensation on the table.

It was also said that most of Hostess Teamsters Union drivers were not altogether worried about a Hostess total failure - that union seniority would get them bumped (over existing or new drivers) into Teamsters driver jobs in other companies with Teamsters contracts, while such prospects were not as likely for the bakers.

I am not saying the WSJ oped has the whole story, but that it does present the whole story with information not given much play when “blaming the bakers union” was the only story. I think the real issues are more complex than that.

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